Todd Haberkorn, the new voice of Jadeite, will be appearing at a couple of conventions this summer that we’re watching.

The first is Fan World, a cross-border convention in Niagara Falls (Ontario and New York state). This event runs July 21-23 on the US side, and July 22 on the Canadian side in what they are calling a “Super Saturday” as it will be filled with as many of the guests as possible and a variety of events. Three day passes are currently $30 USD and Canadian Saturday only passes will be $25 CAD. Weekend and day passes are also available via online registration in USD.

Todd will be joined by Roland Parliament (voice director for season 1 and 2 of the DiC dub and voice of Melvin) to talk with fans about Sailor Moon.

On the other side of Canada, fans in British Columbia will be able to meet Todd Haberkorn at Anime Revolution from August 4-6 at the Vancouver convention centre. This convention has grown to be a fan favourite for west coast anime and Sailor Moon fans.

As mentioned previously, they have also announced Shizuka Itou (Sailor Venus in Sailor Moon Crystal) as a guest, so you will get to meet both American and Japanese actors from the Sailor Moon franchise.

Three day pass tickets are approximately $75 +tax for the convention (currently discounted to $70 +tax). Single day passes are also available at the door and range from $50-$60 (plus taxes). Their ticket site is currently experiencing some technical difficulties, you may encounter errors in Google Chrome but you can try another browser for the time being.

This year’s Anime North is coming up soon and Sailor Moon fans can look forward to quite a few highlights in the schedule including meeting Sandy Fox, the new voice of Chibiusa/Sailor Chibimoon in the Viz Media dubs of Sailor Moon and Sailor Moon Crystal. This is her first appearance in Toronto, so be sure to give her a warm welcome.

Anime North is one of my favourite conventions and I highly recommend it to anime fans in the Toronto area. It has a positive atmosphere, lots of cosplayers, and tons of programming so there is always something interesting to check out! It has grown to be a quite large event, so do keep that in mind if you are wary of crowds. There are places you can go that are less crowded such as panel rooms, but the dealers’ room is often packed as are the outdoor areas surrounding the Toronto Congress Centre (a.k.a. the TCC).

For drivers, it is good to note that there is plenty of free parking available during the day at the TCC, but overnight parking needs to be paid for at the hotels. It is also advisable to enter the TCC parking lot by car through the Martin Grove entrance as traffic is less congested on that road (use the address of 1020 Martin Grove rd in your GPS for this).

If you are taking public transit, keep in mind that TTC service will become extremely crowded during peak times, especially on the 52 Lawrence bus. There will also be a subway closure between St. George and Broadview stations on May 27th-28th. There are some possible route options listed here, however I strongly recommend carpooling if you can or planning extra travel time. There are NO express buses between the convention and the subway, expect to be delayed.

And now for the part you’re really here for! The following is a breakdown of Sailor Moon related programming and a couple other items that might interest our readers.

Friday, May 26th

• 5pm-7pm — Sandy Fox autographs (TCC Autograph Area Hall A)
• 6pm-7pm — Sailor Moon cosplay photoshoot (DT2)
• 7pm-10pm — Trigun Doughnut Eating Contest (International Plaza Terrace Café): a returning contest, it would definitely be a winner for our favourite Sailor Guardian who can’t resist a good snack!
• 7:30pm-8:30pm — Q&A with Lex Lang and Sandy Fox (TCC Pinsent room, panel 1): Question and answer panel with Sandy Fox and her husband Lex Lang. Sailor Chibimoon and Goku!

Saturday, May 27th

• 11am-1:30pm — Sandy Fox autographs (TCC Autograph Area Hall A)
• 11:30am-12:30pm — Anime and Fandom with YTV’s Anime Master (TCC Waxman Room Panel 2): meet the Anime Master from YTV and take a look at how YTV influenced anime fandom in Canada.
• 1pm-3pm — The Sailor Moon 25th Anniversary Game Show (TCC Cohen Ballroom): brought to you by Fan World and the Toronto Sailor Moon Celebration, expect a fun Sailor Moon themed game show to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the franchise!
• 2pm-5pm — Sandy Fox autographs (TCC Autograph Area Hall A)
• 3pm-4pm — Sailor Moon cosplay photoshoot (TCC4)
• 6:30pm-7:30pm — Sailor Moon Merchandise (TCC Berton 3-4 Panel 6): Presentation on the latest and greatest official merchandise and where you can get it. Brought to you by the Toronto Sailor Moon Celebration (and presented by yours truly).
• 7pm-10pm — Trigun Doughnut Eating Contest (International Plaza Terrace Café) — another chance to eat donuts and do your best impression of Usagi at the same time. She can certainly beat that Vash the Stampede guy in an eating contest.
• 8:30pm-9:30pm — Fan Fiction The Show comedy performance (TCC Cohen Ballroom)

Sunday, May 28th

• 11am-1:30pm — Sandy Fox autographs (TCC Autograph Area Hall A)
• 12:30pm-1:30pm — Sailor Moon Discussion Panel (TCC Berton 3-4 Panel 6): Come chat about everything Sailor Moon: the manga, the anime, the musicals, and more!
• 2pm-5pm — Sandy Fox autographs (TCC Autograph Area Hall A)
• 3pm-4pm — Sailor Moon cosplay photoshoot (TCC4)

There are lots of other interesting items on the schedule this year, so be sure to check out the full program here and make your plan for the weekend!

You can also meet some of the team for the Toronto Sailor Moon Celebration at booth #IA08 in the industry area in Hall F of the Toronto Congress Centre, near the entrance to the dealers’ room. We will be giving away some fun freebies as well as selling tickets to this year’s Toronto Sailor Moon Celebration, selling buttons, and selling tote bags.

Aside from programming that I’m participating in, you will be able to find me at the booth quite easily. I will be running the Sailor Moon merchandise presentation, moderating/leading the Sailor Moon discussion panel, helping out with the Sailor Moon game show, and I will also be running a Social Media for Cosplayers panel on Saturday from 3pm-4pm in the Montreal room at the International Plaza.

Passes for Anime North range from $35-$45 for a single day or $60 for the weekend. Weekend passes typically sell out in advance, so it is best to purchase those online if possible. Complete information on registration options is available here.

I hope to see you there and that you will have a great Anime North this year! Remember to take breaks and stay hydrated while also having fun.

More voice actors have been added to the roster of guests of honour for this year’s Toronto Sailor Moon Celebration: Sugar Lyn Beard (Rini/Sailor Minimoon) and Susan Roman (Sailor Jupiter).

Sugar Lyn Beard was the second voice actress for the character of Rini who transformed into Sailor Minimoon in the original English dubs of Sailor Moon and played the majority of the episodes featuring the child of Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask from the future. Sugar is known as an actress as well as a television and radio personality.

For Susan Roman, being part of the wacky, wonderful world of animation for most of her adult life has been a dream come true. Along the way, she worked on projects that have since become mainstream classics. She is probably best known as the voice of Sailor Jupiter in the original English dub of Sailor Moon.

Additional sponsors have also recently been added for this year’s convention. The current list of sponsors includes:

• Tessellate Videos (official photo and video sponsor)
• Chop Shop Goods (clothing sponsor – selling show exclusive T-shirts)
• Right Stuf Anime (prize sponsor, enter the contest here)
• Arda Wigs (prize sponsor for cosplay contest)
• Pink City (prize sponsor)
• Girl Guides of Canada (activity sponsor)

The complete program is set to be released by the end of May and will include scheduled times for a variety of panels, activities, and screenings. The Sailor Moon R movie will have a featured screening at this event, for those fans who missed the theatrical screening or who wish to watch it again with other Sailor Moon fans.

Crafting and video games are returning in “Game Center Crown” and attendees will be able to try a couple of Sailor Moon video games included with their admission as well as make a selection of crafts including buttons, hair bow clips, tutus, mini backpacks, and more. Outdoors, there will also be an area where fans can play a giant game of chess and see if they have what it takes to be a chess master like Sailor Mercury! There will also be “capture the rose” and some other casual games.

Additional features for this convention celebrating the 24th anniversary of the classic anime series are to be announced at a later date.

Pre-registration tickets are $25 general admission, $20 for children 6-11. Admission at the door is $30 general admission, $25 for children 6-11. Children 5 and under are always free.

Fans attending Anime North can also meet some of the Toronto Sailor Moon Celebration crew and hear more about the only Sailor Moon convention in Toronto.

Full press release is available here for the guest announcements.

Voice actors Ron Rubin, Jill Frappier, and Loretta Jafelice will have a reunion for the first time at a convention, for their roles as the talking celestial cats in Sailor Moon.

Ron Rubin is well known as the original voice of Artemis for the entire run of the DiC and Cloverway dubs of Sailor Moon. He is one of the busiest animation actors around and his voice can be heard in countless anime shows and cartoon series.

Jill Frappier was the original voice of Luna for the entire run of the DiC and Cloverway dubs of Sailor Moon. She is an actor, storyteller, drama teacher “extraordinaire,” and has performed in well over 100 plays at major theatres in Toronto and across Canada, including the Shaw and Stratford Festivals. She also makes pottery, under the brand Jill’s Objets.

Loretta Jafelice is best known for her roles of Eugeal of the Witches 5 and Diana, the celestial kitten from the future. She also voiced some monsters of the day.

Another highlight guest for us this year is the wonderfully talented Jennifer Cihi, the singing voice of Sailor Moon.

Jennifer will be performing alongside Serasymphony in a special ticket concert that will run appriximately 90 minutes including intermission and will start at 8pm in the Imperial Oil auditorium. Concert tickets are discounted for attendees of the Toronto Sailor Moon Celebration if purchased in advance. Public sales of the concert tickets will open on April 24th for those who wish to only attend the concert.

Concert ticket prices are discounted to $12.50 for Toronto Sailor Moon Celebration general attendees (Ages 12+), $6.25 – for Toronto Sailor Moon Celebration Child attendees (Ages 6-11), and free for children 5 and under accompanying a Toronto Sailor Moon Celebration general attendee with a concert ticket. Prices go up for event attendees on April 24th (the discount will be reduced). Questions about tickets for the concert can be emailed to info@blc3music.com.

Fans will also have the opportunity to meet SeraSymphony and Jennifer Cihi before the concert at the convention, even if they do not have concert tickets. Their will be separate panels for Jennifer Cihi and SeraSymphony as well.

Other guests of honour added to this year’s event are:

Cosplay Guest of Honour – Grey Cosplay

Our seventh cosplay guest of honour, GreyCosplay, is a Toronto based cosplayer who has been enjoying the art and the challenge of bringing his favourite characters to life for 4 years.  From anime and manga to video games and comics, Grey has dabbled in it all.

Cosplay Guest of Honour – Phil Mizuno

Our sixth cosplay guest this year is Phil Mizuno, an up and coming Canadian-native cosplayer who followed his heart and is pursuing his passion to empower others through positivity and creativity. Phil has been cosplaying for just over 2 years, and currently lives and creates his cosplays in Toronto, Ontario.

Guest of Honour – Fan Fiction The Show

Joining us for a second year, Fan Fiction The Show will be entertaining you again with the hilarious antics of a Sailor Moon themed fan fiction comedy performance. The one hour performance will be rated PG so that all of our attendees can enjoy it!

This year’s event is quickly evolving into a very full day of spectacular guests and lots of fun activities. We hope to see you there if you can make it!

Pre-registration tickets are $25 for general admission to the convention. General admission at the door will be $30. Children 6-11 are $5 off and children 5 and under are free.

The full press release is available here. If you would like to be added to the press list for future press releases about this event, please send an email to info@sailormooncelebration.com

It is with a heavy heart that I bring you the news of Susan Aceron Gray’s passing. Susan was the voice of Sailor Pluto in the Cloverway English dub of Sailor Moon.

She was battling nasopharyngeal cancer for some time, and we previously shared links to her fundraising page created by her brother to help fund her treatment (there are more details on the fundraising page about the condition). She was with her family in Alberta while undergoing treatment for her cancer and passed on October 9th, 2016.

A Visitation/Prayer will be held at 6:00 p.m., on Thursday and Friday, October 13 and 14, 2016, at Connelly-McKinley St. Albert Funeral Home, 9 Muir Drive, St. Albert, Alberta. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 a.m., on October 15, 2016 at Annunciation Church, 9420-163 St Edmonton NW.

We remind fans to respect the privacy of her family at this time, but you can send condolences via www.connelly-mckinley.com/condolences.html or you can sign the online guest book of condolences.

Also, her family has asked that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Susan’s name to a charity of your choice.

We are saddened to hear that Susan is no longer with us, but we will remember her as the graceful guardian of time and as a woman who really appreciated her fans.

The complete obituary is available here.

Thanks to Lisa for the tip.